News & Press https://www.envirobank.org/news/default.asp Tue, 19 Mar 2024 03:28:00 GMT Fri, 16 Sep 2016 13:56:25 GMT Copyright © 2016 Environmental Bankers Association The Passing of an Industry Giant https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=308125 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=308125
Until his retirement, he was BOA Senior Vice President for Commercial Valuation Services; that entailed Environmental Services, Commercial Appraisal and Enterprise Valuation.  Prior to this position he was Senior Vice President and Manager of Environmental Services Department within the bank.  He was responsible for assessment and management of environmental credit risks across the spectrum of business activities of BankAmerica Corporation worldwide.  In the United States, Evan was responsible for development and implementation of hazardous waste/toxic substances policy, which includes review of environmental assessments of real property collateral prior to lending and assessment of liabilities presented during foreclosure situations.  He also served on Bank of America’s Environmental Commitment Advisory Committee.

Evan represented one of the founding member banks in 1994 of the Environmental Bankers Association where he served as the association’s second President and in 2008 as Chair of the Global Committee.  Evan was at the forefront of developing the BOA’s environmental policy and risk management programs associated with real estate secured lending.  Evan was well respected in the environmental banking industry for his vision and leadership skills.

Evan was once an inspirational speaker and panelist at EBA membership meetings, state, local, national and international conventions and seminars, authoring multiple papers on environmental risk management, brownfields financing, and sustainability issues for banks.  He was instrumental in developing the Environmental Risk Management for Bankers training program for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and taught similar programs in conjunction with the US Agency for International Development through South and Southeast Asia.  Evan was active in the professional community with advisory or executive roles relating to state and federal environmental agencies, trade associations, professional organizations and environmentally based non-profit organizations.

Evan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Tufts University in 1977 followed by a Master of Science degree in hydrology from the University of New Hampshire.in 1984.  Prior to joining Bank of America in 1988, Evan gained approximately ten years of professional experience with environmental consulting firms providing hazardous waste assessment and cleanup advice to commercial, industrial and governmental clients.  Evan developed specific experience with assessment of environmental liabilities of real estate transactions and property development.  Evan has been a Registered Geologist and Registered Environmental Assessor in the state of California.]]>
Fri, 16 Sep 2016 14:56:25 GMT
Perspectives from the EBA Summer Conference https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=296071 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=296071 Where do you get nearly 180 lenders, attorneys and consultants all in one room to discuss environmental lending topics? That would be at the Environmental Bankers Association (EBA) 2016 Summer Conference, which took place June 5-8 in Fort Worth, TX.

Similar to past EBA meetings, this latest one covered a broad array of topics including risk tolerances of lenders in participation and syndication with loan transactions, mitigation of vapor intrusion in existing buildings, dilemmas in developing scopes of work, and properly addressing asbestos and lead in soil.
 

This article was originally published by Bill Alpine of ECS.
Click here to read full article

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Tue, 28 Jun 2016 20:13:02 GMT
Vapor Intrusion, Due Diligence, Outsourcing Headline EBA Summer Conference https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=295055 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=295055 Vapor Intrusion, Due Diligence, Outsourcing Headline EBA Summer Conference

The Environmental Protection Agency's addition of vapor intrusion to the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) for superfund sites, mitigation of vapor intrusion through the use of innovative new technology and a robust mock debate over whether existing conditions at a site constituted a recognized environmental condition were some of the major themes at a national conference aimed at environmental financial professionals.

The conference, presented by the Environmental Bankers Association, was held in Ft. Worth, Texas.

 

This article was originally published by Bloomberg BNA.
Click here to read full article

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Wed, 22 Jun 2016 15:52:18 GMT
EBA Fort Worth - What Did You Miss? https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=295046 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=295046 This article was originally published on LinkedIn, and is being shared with permission by the original author, Ruxandra Niculescu, REM.

 
EBA Fort Worth - What Did You Miss?

The Summer Environmental Bankers Association conference has drawn to a close. The bright and energetic individuals that arrived in Fort Worth, TX have all returned to their regularly scheduled work days, taking with them some great experiences and hopefully some newfound knowledge.

Exhausted from a non-stop three day conference, there is little time to reflect when mountains of emails are screaming to be addressed as a result of our absence, so here are some highlights, presented in a condensed format (more or less).

From taking even a quick look at the jam packed agenda, it was obvious there were several prevailing themes, including consistent environmental due diligence/scopes and vapor intrusion, which popped up in various formats both in the General Sessions and Concurrent Sessions. EBA did a great job of securing speakers to cover the different aspects of all the topics and it was good to see attendance did not wane from session to session.

By far, one of the best received presentations was an NPR-Style Debate on REC versus not a REC presented by Sean Leary and David Vieau of Vieau Associates Inc.; Drew Bailey of ECA; Lizz Barringer-Lagomarsino of AKT Peerless Environmental Services; and Chris McNees of Aerostar SES LLC. The debaters gave convincing arguments for real world cases and the audience was polled after each debate to determine who held the most sway. Surprising results showed just how effective one small comment can be when “Dennis D. Minimis” (aka David Vieau) was able to sway the votes in his teams’ favor to win the debate for the “No REC” side with a score of 2 to 1.

For those that missed lunch on the first day, Beth Sexton of PM Environmental gave a fact filled presentation on dealing with Millennial Talent and taught everyone such terms as FOMO (fear of missing out), “on fleek”, and “throwing shade”. These terms were subsequently used in presentations and conversation alike - both properly and improperly - for the rest of the conference, much to everyone’s amusement (to any Millennials reading this… please attend the next conference - we need your help!).

Tuesday’s lunch brought a comprehensive update of the state of each committee/task group, with the most exciting news being presented by Bill Sloan of Commerce Bank. Bill shared the EBA Tip Sheet: Reviewing No Further Action Letters published recently by Bloomberg BNA. It is the first such publication, although likely not the last. Bloomberg BNA was represented at the conference by first time attendees Mary Ann Grena-Manley and Logan Hollers, who were glad to share their insight into future collaborative projects and brought a great new perspective to the group.

The Affiliate Session, moderated by Derek Ezovski of ORMS, presented consultants with the chance to have a lively discussion on Environmental Liability Transfers (ELT), and share insight into what (presumably) keeps lenders up at night. Numerous topics of discussion were brought up and included such questions as “Is a UST always an REC?”, “How do we address certain recommendations (or lack thereof)”, and “How should we be dealing with emerging contaminants?”

Much like Long Beach, the Dine Arounds were a success, offering lenders and affiliates a chance to get to know each other in a relaxed setting. Despite a few hiccups with registration, folks were able to find a group and EBA plans to continue improving the dine around experience for future conferences.

Overall, it was refreshing to see so many first time attendees and the funky name badge ribbons (sporting tiles like “Official Something” and “My Ribbon is Better than Yours”) were a great success, with many people vying for the position of who held the most ribbons.

EBA is definitely on the right path to creating a fun environment for people to collaborate and learn about a topic that is not often easily understood. It will be interesting to see what happens next as preparations are already underway for the Tampa, Florida Winter Conference.

 

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Wed, 22 Jun 2016 15:30:50 GMT
Popular EBA Dine-Arounds Return for June 2016 Conference in Fort Worth! https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=288507 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=288507 Dine-arounds at January EBA meeting a huge success!

Our first ever EBA Dine-around events were held on Sunday and Monday evenings during the January 2016 EBA meeting in Long Beach.  While some EBA members prefer private dinners with clients or staff, others of us were looking for a way to organize a casual and fun dining experience for all who wish to participate.

We organized several dine-around groups, which were led by their Table Captains to various nearby restaurants.   First time EBA attendees and long-time EBA members alike experienced some great food, a few adult beverages and wonderful conversation with fellow EBA members, prospective members and a few spouses.  Some of the cuisines sampled in Long Beach included Italian, Greek, Sushi, Thai and good old’ American bar food.  Although some of us were ready to “hit the hay” right after dinner, others re-grouped to continue the night out at nearby bars and restaurants for after dinner drinks, music and dancing.

EBA member volunteers are again planning dine-arounds for the June meeting in Fort Worth – we hope you will join us! Click here to sign up.

 


What is the EBA Dine-Around?  
It's a chance to go out for dinner with other EBA meeting attendees and make a few new friends, or get better acquainted with old friends, while discovering some of the unique restaurants in Fort Worth.

This is an optional activity organized by EBA members. Everyone pays for their own dinner and drinks.

 

Table captains are needed!
Like to take charge? Then volunteer to be a Table Captain during the EBA Dine-Arounds. As a Table Captain, you will confirm your groups reservation at the restaurant you have chosen, and be in charge of leading your group to the nearby restaurant.  Table Captain opportunities will be included with the Dine-Around sign up.  If you have questions, contact Jeri Massengill at 952-457-5751 or jerim@historicalinfo.com.

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Mon, 9 May 2016 17:04:30 GMT
Call for Presenters - Summer 2016 Conference https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=278890 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=278890 The EBA is now accepting submissions from potential presenters for our upcoming 2016 EBA Summer Conference, June 5 - 8 in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

Click here to read more and to make a submission.

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Wed, 9 Mar 2016 14:50:17 GMT
Conference Report: Environmental Bankers Association (EBA) – Long Beach https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=276241 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=276241 By Jeff Coyne
Director, GRS Group

This article was originally published on the GRS Group website, and can be accessed by clicking here

 

Myself and other GRS Group colleagues attended the recent Environmental Bankers Association (EBA) winter conference in Long Beach, Calif., and it was an impressive event. There were about 200 industry professionals in attendance, which was a high-water mark for this particular EBA event.

Among those present were thought leaders, specialists in environmental banking, third-party service providers and representatives of several banking enterprise risk-management firms (ERMs).

There were some great networking opportunities at the show’s cocktail parties and dine-arounds, where we were able to enjoy time with current clients and meet other firms that may potentially need our Global Services Connection offerings.

Meanwhile, there were some very informative educational sessions. Attendees got to learn about the ongoing monitoring of water in Hinkley, Calif., which was the setting of the film “Erin Brockovich.”

We were also informed about the integration of environmental into appraisal valuation, oil and gas project financing, vapor-intrusion risk pathways, cleanup requirements for formerly active oil and gas sites, and much more.  In two and a half days, not many rocks were left unturned, and we will be posting more information about those topics here in coming days.
GRS Group is a proud member and contributor to the EBA, and looks forward to seeing all of our friends and colleagues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this summer, when the organization has its Fort Worth Conference June fifth through eighth.

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Mon, 22 Feb 2016 19:42:07 GMT
PM Environmental Participates in Expert Panel on Dry Cleaner Remediation Programs at EBA Conference https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=272312 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=272312 Click here to read full article]]> Mon, 1 Feb 2016 19:00:50 GMT Recap of the EBA 2016 Winter Conference https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=271461 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=271461 News Group Summary
Long Beach, CA, January 2016
by: Dianne Crocker, EDR and Holly Neber, AEI Consultants

EBA Long Beach was a popular event with the highest number of attendees on record for an EBA conference.  EBA President Sharon Valverde kicked off the conference with a summary of the progress that has been made in the past six months, and shared her optimism for the path ahead.  A major focus of the EBA has been engaging members in committee service with the launch of the "Give 30" campaign – by committing 30 minutes a week, month or quarter, we can all have a positive impact on growing EBA. Task groups including the Website Task Group, Education Task Group, and News Task Group have been formed to provide more member benefits to the EBA community. We also heard from great speakers in Long Beach, providing a well-rounded tour of issues affecting our industry. EBA attendees left the meeting with a better understanding of the state of the art and industry standards, as well as food for thought on technology and leading change in our organizations.

To view the presentation slides that correspond with these recaps, visit the EBA Library and Resources.
 
MONDAY
Tale of Hinkley, California” Ian Webster, Sc.D., Project Navigator, Ltd.
  • Background and technical aspects of impacts to groundwater in Hinkley, CA
  • Perspectives on the importance of building trust with the community and how environmental impairment extends to the above-ground experience of residents and visitors (vacant lots, demolished home sites, etc.)

Integration of Environmental into Appraisal Valuation” Mike Millikan, Home Street Bank
  • Be aware that an appraisal can travel from one bank to another.
  • It’s critical that a bank’s appraisal arm is talking to its ERM staff so that elevated risks aren’t overlooked.
  • An “as-is” appraisal value must consider environmental impairment.

Current State of Dry Cleaner Programs” Peter Dollander, BB&T Bank, Mike Kulka, PM Environmental, Tim Post, California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB)
  • Thorough summary of the status of state dry cleaner programs.  Tim Post, RWQCB, spoke about state funding in California for dry cleaner remediation.
  •  More than 70 percent of past/current dry cleaners have had releases.
  • Cleanup costs range from tens of thousands of dollars to several million dollars, averaging $500,000.
  • An EBA tip sheet on the state of state programs is pending.
 
Oil & Gas Project Finance” Marty Walters, CIT Bank
  • Due to the Bevill and Bentson Amendments of RCRA, differing state regulatory programs make oil and gas exploration very different from other industries. Marty provided a checklist showing the patchwork of state regulatory requirements.  Make sure to download from EBA website.
  • Contaminants of concern may include naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)
  • Compliance with regulations does not necessarily mean closure activities would be protective of soil and groundwater.  Level of protection and closure requirements vary by state.
  • A lawsuit was recently filed against the EPA for lack of federal oversight of these operations.

Technology Impacting Commercial Real Estate” Kelly Stratton, Quire
  • A dynamic lunch session on the three technologies that are making their way into the CRE world:
    • Cloud computing
    • APIs
    • Big data
    • Commercial real estate industries can excel if / when they learn to leverage technology. Our industry has the potential to leverage the data we collect.

Vapor Intrusion Risk Pathway: A Survival Guide for Bankers” Blayne Hartman, Ph.D., Hartman Environmental Geoscience
  • Thinking of financing a site with TCE impacts? Run away!
  • Evaluating vapor intrusion? It’s complicated.  EPA OSWER and OUST guidance, sampling methods, staff training, and common sources of interference were discussed.

Cleanup Requirements for Active and Former Oil & Gas Sites Undergoing Redevelopment” Tom Dong, SCS Engineers and John Tabella, PG, SCS Engineers
  • SCS shared case studies for redevelopment sites in Southern California involving former oil and gas stations, including methane issues, ongoing monitoring, and public perception post-redevelopment.

"Legal Update & Overview” Nate Brodeur, Goodwin Procter LLP and David Steinberger, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP
  • Stormwater compliance management: making recent headlines and lenders should be most concerned with any loans involving new developments (need to have general construction permits) and industrial facilities.
  • Vapor intrusion: Blayne Hartman made a strong case in his track for paying attention to vapor/TCE issues; federal/state activities are resulting in reviews of previously-closed sites for TCE/vapor risk. Lenders advised to ensure their EPs are up to date, and consider obstacles to achieving regulatory closure (e.g., reopeners, LOT monitoring)
  • CWA changes: these are changing the way regulators determine if a water body is regulated by the state agency or the federal agency. If a project needs a federal CWA permit, it could impact the level of scrutiny required significantly.

Impact of Change of Regulatory Databases” Julie Kilgore
  • The US EPA will be making revisions to the AAI rule to reflect changes in databases (e.g., CERCLIS to CIMS, Corracts, etc.) but EPA will not be changing the search distances. EP’s may employ professional judgment regarding search distances within specific projects.
  • Concerns about a “tremendous amount of unnecessary information in the database reports.”
  • EPs are crushing state agencies with requests for regulatory files so state agencies are moving to get as much data online as possible.

Location, Location” Paul Schiffer, EDR
  • Detailed overview of tax maps, base maps and the importance of identifying the subject property and plotting it correctly.

 

TUESDAY
Port of Long Beach – Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project: A Crude Legacy” Daniel Ramsay, PG, Port of Long Beach

  • Long Beach is the 2nd busiest port in the US, constructed on State tidelands. Historic and active oil extraction operations have left a legacy that is now being addressed during bridge construction. Extraction operations have also created a legacy of subsidence in Long Beach.

Phase II Investigations & Remedial Cost Estimates: A Comparative Data and Cost Analysis” Kathryn Peacock, Partner Engineering & Science, Richard Ferguson, RG, US Bank, Robert Traylor, PG, CHg, Partner Engineering & Science, Judy Marth, CHMM, Tetra Tech, Robert Lamdin, AKT Peerless, and Chris Srock, Terracon

  • In 2013, four EBA consulting firms contributed data to a study of 450 Phase II ESAs. Of the sites researched, 70% showed contamination was present, and 40% showed evidence of impacts above regulatory thresholds.  In the 2016 presentation, the firms presented an update to the 2013 analysis, and also looked at impacts related to oil/water separators, parts washers, and heating oil USTs. Data is available in the full slide deck.
  • An analysis of remedial cost estimates was also provided.

Credit Process Overview” Ting Lau, Senior Credit Risk Officer, Bank of the West

  • Mr. Lau explained the overall credit evaluation process and how and when environmental issues are factored in, as well as a discussion of mitigating factors when environmental issues are present, and post-funding management of properties with environmental concerns.

Risk Avoidance for Environmental Consultants” Jimmy Kirkland, Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice LLP

  • Jimmy’s slides are a must-see for any EPs.
  • He gave myriad examples demonstrating that an EP doesn’t need much involvement in a loan/project to get sued down the road, but there are steps they can take to mitigate their risk.

Changing Your Mind” John Rybak, BB&T Bank

  • Engaging presentation on the aversion employees can have when confronted by change.
  • Got all lunch tables involved in a fun, illustrative competition of building with dominos and responding to change in the process.

AFFILIATE ONLY SESSION
TAT benchmarks and regulatory file reviews” Dianne Crocker, EDR Insight

  • Highlights from the Commercial Property Due Diligence survey.
  • Between November 12 and December 1, 2015, 528 environmental consultants representing 45 U.S. states and Puerto Rico participated.
  • Wide distribution by firm size as follows: 25 percent from local firms, 40 percent from regional firms, 23 percent from national firms, 9 percent from international firms and 3 percent “other.”
  • Average turnaround time for a basic Phase I ESA (no non-scope items): 14.4 business days
  • 42 percent of EPs have clients requesting a 2-week TAT 50 percent of the time—or more.
  • 68 percent of EPs charge a premium for faster Phase I report delivery
  • If a report is delivered with information that wasn’t available by the delivery date, most EPs report that clients ask for an addendum only rarely (54%) or never (12%).
  • Standard pricing practices for regulatory records review is to include as part of the standard fee but often with limits built in on the number of review hours required (typically 2 hours).
  • The TAT for receiving regulatory records after the EP submits a request was typically 2-5 business days (30% of respondents)  or 6-10 business days (26% of respondents). Another 36% said even longer with wide variation from state to state, and even agency to agency.

In addition to the above sessions, a Banker Only session held on Tuesday afternoon, led by David Lambert of Wells Fargo, covered tracking, value, and QA/QC for ERM departments. On Wednesday morning, a New Banker Training session was led by Richard Belyea, Comerica Bank and Jan Sheinson, BMO Harris Bank.  Other highlights included:

  • EBA Dine Arounds on Sunday and Monday night, providing an opportunity to connect with other EBA members in groups of 10-12 people. An online app was used for sign-ups.  Let Julie and Derek know if you’d like to help plan dinner groups in Ft. Worth.
  • EBA Gives Back assisted Algalita researching plastics in beach sediments in Long Beach – the group was led by Don Kellar of Fulcrum Resources Environmental. Learn more about  Algalita by visiting their website.



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Wed, 27 Jan 2016 14:48:50 GMT
EBA's Give Back Event in Long Beach, California https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=260478 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=260478 EBA Gives Back Event:
Sunday, January 17th, 2016, 9am - 12noon

We invite everyone to participate with the EBA Gives Back event in Long Beach, California.
 
This year’s activity is an opportunity to give back to the environment. The event takes place at Algalita’s Marine and Research and Education Center (Algalita). Algalita, founded in 1994, specializes in monitoring plastic pollution in the oceans. Algalita's Founder and Research Director, Captain Charles Moore, was the first to discover the "swirling soup of plastic debris" in the Pacific's north eastern gyre, known by many as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. For nearly 20 years, Algalita has been searching for answers on plastic pollution in the marine ecosystem and is dedicated to the protection and improvement of the marine environment and its watersheds through research and education on the impacts of plastic pollution. For more information, go to Algalita’s website at www.algalita.org.
 
For this half-day activity, please join us and support Algalita in pollution prevention.
Some of the tasks include:

  • working sand stations
  • sieving sand
  • picking up plastic
  • writing down observations
  • filling out data sheets

If you plan to volunteer, please dress accordingly. If you wish to participate or have any questions, please contact Holly Neber at hneber@aeiconsultants.com or Don Kellar at don@frenviro.com. We will be arranging the transportation.

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Mon, 16 Nov 2015 19:43:32 GMT
Q3 Update from EBA Board of Governors https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=260464 https://www.envirobank.org/news/news.asp?id=260464 EBA Board of Governors: 2015 Q3 Update

 

Hello fellow EBA Members:

As we head into Fall, we wanted to provide an update on what’s been going on since the Summer meeting, as well as provide you an overview of things to come. It is a very exciting time for our organization and a time for us to look forward strategically to position ourselves for the next 20 years. However, before we dive into the heavier topics, just a few quick reminders:

  • Registration for the January Conference in Long Beach is open and can be booked through the EBA website. Not only do we have a great agenda for the conference, but we also have several surprises in store for you at the meeting.  Additionally, we will be incorporating instant polling – so be sure you have your cell phones charged and ready. Here is a peek at the preliminary agenda, which will provide you more details on each of the presentations, all of which we think you will find very interesting and educational. More agenda details will be added soon. A huge thanks goes out to the Agenda Committee for pulling together what will be a very Dynamic Meeting! Additionally, don’t forget that the Early Bird rate for the conference ends on December 4th, so be sure and at least register for the conference on-line, which will guarantee your Early Bird rate that will be due and payable no later than December 31st.
  • 2016 Membership Renewal is open and can also be booked through the website.  2015 memberships end as of December 31st unless you are on the new Anniversary renewal plan we implemented this year. The Anniversary renewal plan is a great feature for those firms that have fiscal years not coinciding with the calendar year and/or for new members joining after January. Contact EBA Headquarters with any questions or if the Anniversary renewal plan is a better fit for your company. Click here to access a 2016 membership renewal form.

 

And now for the heavier topics...

Topic #1: Strategic Planning – The Next 20 Years


In January, the Board of Governors will develop a strategic plan for the EBA using a professional strategist. However, prior to January we need your assistance with a member survey. This survey will not contain questions like “What is your dollar threshold for Phase I’s," but rather the survey will focus on broader picture items around how you perceive the value of the EBA, such as what one thing would you change to make the EBA have a larger impact on your job? In order to position the EBA for the next 20 years, we need to step back and assess our industry and consider current trends, such as the impact of lower Phase I pricing, the absence of significant environmental losses within banking, and the ever increasing use of credit waivers to handle environmental issues. This assessment will help us proactively position the organization to serve our members and lead the way forward.  With your help and input we are certain a strategic plan can be drafted that will proactively propel our organization forward in a manner so as to serve our membership with best in class networking, education, industry news, and peer to peer benchmarking.

The survey will be brief in the number of questions, but exponential in the benefit your answers will provide us. Because of the importance of your responses to the future of our organization, your participation is critical! In fact, since our way forward affects not only those of you that attend the semi-annual meetings on a regular basis, but also our younger members, which represent our future, we respectfully request that all banking staff be allowed to complete the survey. For Affiliates, we request that all those in your firm familiar with the EBA be allowed to complete the survey.  To gather good data and focus on our goal, we need input not only from those of you that attend and support the organization on a regular basis, but also from those members who are not as active or involved since often it is they who represent our future.  

This is an exciting time for the EBA.  A time of inner reflection and outwardly thinking.  So, the burning question is …. What is your vision?  We look forward to hearing from you and welcome your thoughts and suggestions. Please be on the lookout for this survey to come to your inboxes very soon.

 

Topic #2: New Task Groups


In June we queried our members to identify the two most important assets of our organization. The answer: Networking and Education.  For Networking, we accomplish this through the interactions of EBA members at our semi-annual conferences as well as through our Member Development Group and committee calls, which facilitate strong personal relationships built over time. To enhance networking opportunities, break times on Mondays at conferences have been expanded to 30 minutes, and meeting locations for 2016 have been selected in larger metropolitan areas. We are expecting a higher attendance of bankers and Phase I production staff, which will afford additional networking opportunities.
 
Our Educational components currently consist of information delivered at the semi-annual meetings, Member Development Group calls, and Risk Management Tip Sheets. Our goal is to robustly grow our Educational resources. This is where the new Task Groups come into play: 

The Education Task Group, chaired by Kathryn Peacock, under oversight of the Risk Management Working Development Group chaired by Bill Sloan (Commerce Bank) will identify subjects that our members want to know more about and then solicit volunteers to provide educational materials to the task group. The sky is the limit on the amount and types of materials we are looking for. Many of our members currently have a rich library of educational materials including videos, webinars and assorted publications such as blogs and articles. We welcome these materials (your brand will stay intact) and also welcome materials specifically put together for the committee.  Our end goal is to provide a plethora of information that can be used as references and to facilitate staff training.  To join the Education Task Group, please contact Kathryn Peacock at kpeacock@parteresi.com and copy Bill Sloan at Williamk.Sloan@CommerceBank.com.

The News Task Group, chaired by Holly Neber (AEI Consultants), under oversight of the Technical/ASTM Member Development Group chaired by Peter Dollander (BB&T Bank) will bring timely and relevant industry news to the EBA membership through email newsletters delivered twice monthly, and will deliver more in-depth information in an EBA Journal, to be produced twice a year. Task group members will develop a selection process for worthy news items, white papers, and research, and then provide selected content to EBA Headquarters for formatting and distribution. The News Task Group will also collaborate with the Website and Education Task Groups to collect member news and distribute Education Task Group resources when appropriate. The News Group's focus is on educating EBA members of regulatory changes, case law and technological advancements in our industry, and to provide a forum to highlight the expertise and collective knowledge base of the EBA membership. To join the News Task Group, please contact Holly Neber at hneber@aeiconsultants.com and copy Peter Dollander at pdollander@bbandt.com.

The Website Task Group, chaired by Kelly Stratton (Quire), under oversight of the Business Development Committee, chaired by Jan Sheinson (BMO Harris Bank) will oversee the maintenance and expansion of the EBA website as both a marketing tool for prospects and a resource repository for EBA members. On the marketing side, the Website Task Group will optimize the web content to provide clear messaging, branding, and navigation, as well as review the analytics of the Site's web traffic. In support of EBA membership, the Task Group will continually enhance the member experience by ensuring the YourMembership.com platform (the foundation of our website) features are fully implemented. This includes, but is not limited to: committee calendars, search capabilities, internal linking, and file repositories. Additionally, the Task Group will gather member feedback to ensure clear navigation, a pleasing design, and an optimized presentation to suit a variety of browsers and screen-sizes. To join the Website Task Group, please contact Kelly Stratton at kellys@openquire.com and copy Jan Sheinson at Jan.Sheinson@bmo.com.

Topic #3: Membership Recruitment


EBA participated as an exhibitor at Risk Management Association's (RMA's) Annual Conference in Boston on November 1-3. The conference attracted over 700 financial risk professionals from over 200 financial and lending institutions throughout the US footprint, as well as several lending institutions throughout the world. The event increased EBA’s exposure to about 190 prospective financial member organizations. Jan Sheinson, Derek Ezovski, and Stephen Richardson manned the EBA booth during the conference and within the next 45 days, will be following up with conference attendees regarding EBA membership.

Topic #4: Risk Management Member Development Group – Tips Sheets


The Risk Management Group has been happily cobbling together an extensive list of revised and new Tip Sheets for your referencing pleasure. You may have noticed the monthly Risk Management call is now dominated by Tip Sheet presentations. You may have also noticed a new numbering system. This system was employed to help keep track of the various topics. Our new numbering system is based on content much like college courses where like subjects are grouped together. We hope this will aid in referencing topic areas as we populate our new EBA Online Library.  Right now we have almost 40 Tip Sheets in various stages of development that fall into the categories presented below. As an example, our recently presented Tip Sheet on SBA Lending & Liquidation is EBA Tip Sheet 601. Tip Sheet development is a work in progress, and any interested volunteers are encouraged to contact Bill Sloan at Williamk.Sloan@CommerceBank.com or Dennis Firestone at Dennis.P.Firestone@cbre.com

100 Series | TECHNICAL: Tips, Tricks, and Tactics for Business Efficiency
200 Series | ASTM Methods & Non-Scope: ACM, LBP, Mold, Radon, Wetlands, Species
300 Series | Risk Management: Policy, Risk, Mitigation
400 Series | Operational Management: Access, NFA, Reliance
500 Series | Risk Transfer: Insurance, Assurance, Exclusions
600 Series | Government: SBA, CMBS, FannieMae, FreddieMac, HUD
700 Series | International and Global
800 Series | Facilities & Asset Management: REO, Trust, PCS / Wealth Management



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Mon, 16 Nov 2015 18:30:58 GMT